A Message from Chair Badar Shamim

The Economist recently ranked the world’s most livable cities, with Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver coming in at the top. It prompted me to reflect on Brampton and how far it has come as a city. As chair of the Brampton Board of Trade, I have seen a number of successes in recent years, indicating that Brampton is certainly coming into its own.

In my past year as Board Chair, we have successfully lead important collaborations to establish networks along Canada’s Innovation Corridor, better positioning Brampton as a leader and as a key piece of the regional economy, halfway between Toronto and Kitchener, two large tech centers.

We have strengthened the Board of Trade’s government relations, advocating on behalf of businesses at all levels of government. We’ve teamed up with some of the largest boards of trades and chambers of commerce across Canada to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses, cut red tape and help businesses scale up.

One of our more recent successes is our campaign to foster stronger city pride and create positive dialogue about Brampton. We achieved this through our ‘I love Brampton’ campaign. You may have seen the t-shirts around town. It has been inspiring to hear about the things our community partners, elected officials and members love about the city, and there's lots to love.

These accomplishments are promising. Brampton can compete amongst the best, the future is bright for us. So how can we get there, faster?

In 5 years’ time I want to see Brampton double the number of local businesses exporting internationally. The Board’s extensive reach across the globe has already been instrumental in assisting businesses to grow their exports. I want to see more businesses utilizing our connections, resources and services to achieve the same.

I want to see Brampton retain its young talent by making young people feel valued, and by providing fulfilling work and leadership opportunities right here in the city. We are working with enthusiastic and innovative young leaders in the community to partner on projects, offer mentorship opportunities and bridge the gap between those just starting their careers and the established Brampton business community.

In my vision for Brampton, I see the Board of Trade actively working in conjunction with Brampton's other stakeholders to attract more businesses that fit our mix. We continue to develop money-saving programs for existing businesses and streamline processes for businesses looking to break into the Brampton market - and are happy to act as facilitators for growth.

There is certainly room for growth and our members, volunteers, community partners and stakeholders are all contributing to a collective vision where Brampton can increase its competitiveness and shine on the world stage.

This is my vision for a future Brampton, please tell me more about yours. As I head into our AGM on November 16th, I am proud of what we’ve achieved collectively and look forward to next year under Evan Moore’s leadership.